Where to apply

This website contains details of all hospital pharmacy departments in England & Wales that provide preregistration training for pharmacy graduates.

Choosing the right hospital for you can seem overwhelming. Famous teaching hospitals sound attractive and often provide excellent training however there are a large number of other hospitals to consider that offer equally good preregistration training.

The first consideration is usually location. Proximity to family and friends may be important to you, or you may wish to spend a period of time enjoying the benefits of city living, or you may prefer a more suburban or country location.

You should also take time to consider what type of hospital pharmacy environment will suit you best. You may relish being part of a large cohort of graduates being exposed to very busy departments in a large teaching hospital, or you may prefer the more intimate environment of a smaller hospital where you are the only preregistration pharmacist and receive individual attention.

Availability of accommodation may be important to you. Many hospitals can offer accommodation which is excellent value for money and offers the opportunity to meet people.

Choosing between hospitals

Having decided broadly the geographical area in which you want to be based, how do you choose between hospitals? The best way to find out more about the pharmacy department and the preregistration training provided is to chat to the preregistration tutor(s) at the hospital. Most hospitals have a website that can provide valuable information about the hospital itself and the range of services provided. If you can, try to visit the hospital as some hospitals that may not look particularly inviting from the outside can provide a really friendly and supportive training environment. It is important not to pre-judge a hospital based on a photograph and a visit may help you get a better feel for whether you think you could happily spend a year there, and that feeling is more dependent upon the people you meet than the bricks and mortar.

If a visit is not possible because of the distance involved, making the effort to speak to somebody about the pharmacy department and training provided will demonstrate your initiative, especially if you explain the difficulties in visiting, and may make you an attractive candidate.

Some pharmacy departments or regions prefer to co-ordinate visits and hold an open day for pharmacy undergraduates; these will be advertised under open days

It is likely that neighbouring hospitals will be supported by the same regional pharmacy training service which will offer regionally organised courses and study days to hospitals in a geographical area.

For more information about these services, see the maps and accompanying regional pages on the website.

Many hospitals offer vacation experience in hospital pharmacy which is either paid or provided on a voluntary basis. Vacation experience will provide you with an insight into hospital pharmacy and may enable you to achieve specific objectives during that time, both of which should help you to decide where to spend your preregistration year. If you are not able to organise vacation experience, don't worry, as it is not essential in order to apply for hospital preregistration training.

Each hospital entry on the website includes the contact details of the person who will be able to provide you with additional information. You may be one of many applicants applying for each hospital place and hence it is important to have as much background knowledge as possible about a particular hospital before applying. This should help you to make an informed decision about your choice.

Hospitals and most regional pharmacy training services have a website for further information.